Jeff Heinle from my district wrote this great article on labor yesterday, I completely agree with you, Jeff. The best thing that happened to me when I left the Navy was to get a living-wage union job as an Ironworker. I was able to earn a day’s pay for a fair day’s work and could support myself working forty hours a week. This has not been the case for 89% of workers for the past few decades. As union membership declined in our nation, workers were forced into low-paying jobs without health benefits, retirement, and, frankly, respect from their employers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Nonunion workers had median weekly earnings that were 84 percent of earnings for workers who were union members ($958 versus $1,144).”
I believe Striketober is about to change this for the better.
I found more than just gainful employment in the Ironworkers Union. I found a brotherhood, a community united in purpose. We were supported, kept safe, respected, and had the power to collectively fight for cost-of-living raises, benefits, and better working conditions. With a tight supply of labor, the power lies in the hands of the workers. Many have just decided not to return to work until it is safe, and they are compensated fairly for the jobs they are doing. According to the Washington Post, “Workers, especially low-wage workers, are revolting against years of poor pay and stressful conditions.” Additionally, workers don’t think twice about quitting jobs that don’t pay well or they don’t like.
The Republican’s Nineteenth-Century sweatshop model for employment in America might actually get dismantled. Workers should seize this moment in history and organize to join unions because their families deserve a quality life on one forty-hour-a-week job. They shouldn’t be worried about healthcare, retirement, or support if they are injured and unable to work. Unions can provide this safety net while supplying the nation with a prepared competent workforce.
A few days ago, there was an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal berating Biden’s Build Back Better bill that basically spelled out the overlords’ playbook. It basically defends the capitalist class. It discredits the child tax credits, Healthcare for All, food and housing subsidies, Universal Preschool, and anything that would help the average American working family. They cite that, “tax increases on capital gains, as well as increased corporate taxes on foreign profits” would disincentivize reinvestment in corporate earnings and tank the economic recovery.
Here’s the scoop Conservative Cronies, people are what sustain our economy, not Capital Gains. Too much of the wealth has been sucked to less than one percent of the population. They can’t purchase enough goods and services, though they try, to sustain a healthy economy. When you raise wages to the mass population, they buy a new car, remodel their kitchen, get a haircut, and eat out at local restaurants. They put more money back into local economies and support small businesses. Republicans claim to love small businesses but work against their success.
Keep up the fight workers! Our nation’s economy depends on you standing strong, becoming unionized, demanding fair pay for a day’s work, and providing a safety net for the American family. I’m running against Kevin McCarthy-he is the poster child for the Capitalist Overlords. Check out my website: www.brunoforcongress.com.
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